<i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>: nature and nurture gift to nematode parasitologists

Salinas, Gustavo; Risi, Gastón

doi:10.1017/s0031182017002165

Cited by 24 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 66 publications

(83 reference statements)

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“…In addition, parasitic nematodes need to acquire essential metabolites, including heme and cholesterol, from their hosts (Chitwood, 1999;Luck et al, 2016). Identifying parasite-specific proteins used for nutrient uptake and metabolism could yield novel drug targets (Salinas and Risi, 2018). Thus, the ability to interfere with the function of specific genes in parasitic nematodes is necessary for mechanistic investigations into these and other aspects of their unique biology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in functional genomics for parasitic nematodes of mammals

Castelletto

Gang

Hallem

2020

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Human-parasitic nematodes infect over a quarter of the world's population and are a major cause of morbidity in low-resource settings. Currently available treatments have not been sufficient to eliminate infections in endemic areas, and drug resistance is an increasing concern, making new treatment options a priority. The development of new treatments requires an improved understanding of the basic biology of these nematodes. Specifically, a better understanding of parasitic nematode development, reproduction and behavior may yield novel drug targets or new opportunities for intervention such as repellents or traps. Until recently, our ability to study parasitic nematode biology was limited because few tools were available for their genetic manipulation. This is now changing as a result of recent advances in the large-scale sequencing of nematode genomes and the development of new techniques for their genetic manipulation. Notably, skin-penetrating gastrointestinal nematodes in the genus Strongyloides are now amenable to transgenesis, RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis, positioning the Strongyloides species as model parasitic nematode systems. A number of other mammalian-parasitic nematodes, including the giant roundworm Ascaris suum and the tissue-dwelling filarial nematode Brugia malayi, are also now amenable to transgenesis and/or RNAi in some contexts. Using these tools, recent studies of Strongyloides species have already provided insight into the molecular pathways that control the developmental decision to form infective larvae and that drive the host-seeking behaviors of infective larvae. Ultimately, a mechanistic understanding of these processes could lead to the development of new avenues for nematode control.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in functional genomics for parasitic nematodes of mammals

Castelletto

Gang

Hallem

2020

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Although, IVM affected gene expression in P. univalens, there was little to no response in expression of the candidate genes in C. elegans, despite the signi cant dose dependent behavioral effect of IVM on adult C. elegans worms. The premises for C. elegans as a model for studies in parasitic nematodes have been thoroughly described in other studies (33,(50)(51)(52). For example, Ascaris suum and C. elegans share 68.9% of predicted genes (53), which supports C. elegans as a suitable model for the Ascarididae family.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Ivermectin-induced Gene Expression Changes in Adult Parascaris Univalens and Caenorhabditis Elegans- a Comparative Approach to Study Anthelminthic Metabolism and Resistance in Vitro

Dube

Hinas

Roy

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: The nematode Parascaris univalens is one of the most prevalent parasitic pathogens infecting horses but anthelmintic resistance undermines treatment approaches. The molecular mechanisms underlying drug activity and resistance remain poorly understood in this parasite since experimental in vitro models are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for P. univalens drug metabolism/resistance studies by a comparative gene expression approach after in vitro exposure to the anthelmintic drug ivermectin (IVM).Methods: Twelve adult P. univalens worms in groups of three were exposed to ivermectin (IVM, 10-13 M, 10-11 M, 10-9 M) or left unexposed for 24 h at 37 °C, and total RNA, extracted from the anterior end of the worms, were sequenced using Illumina NovaSeq. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in metabolism, transportation, or gene expression with annotated Caernorhabditis elegans orthologues, were identified as candidate genes to be involved in IVM metabolism/resistance. Similarly, groups of 300 adult C. elegans worms were exposed to IVM (10-9 M, 10-8 M and 10-7 M) or left unexposed for 4 h at 20 °C. Quantitative RT-PCR of RNA extracted from the C. elegans worm pools was used to compare against the expression of selected P. univalens candidate genes after drug treatment.Results: After IVM exposure, 1085 DEGs were found in adult P. univalens worms but the relative gene expression changes were small and large variabilities were found between different worms. Fifteen of the DEGs were chosen for further characterization in C. elegans after comparative bioinformatics analyses. Candidate genes, including the putative drug target lgc-37, responded to IVM in P. univalens, but marginal to no responses were observed in C. elegans despite dose-dependent behavioral effects observed in C. elegans after IVM exposure. Thus, the overlap in IVM induced gene expression in this small set of genes was minor in adult worms of the two nematode species.Conclusion: This is the first time a comparative gene expression approach has evaluated C. elegans as a model to understand IVM metabolism/resistance in P. univalens. Genes in P. univalens adults that responded to IVM treatment were identified. However, identifying conserved genes in P. univalens and C. elegans involved in IVM metabolism/resistance by comparing gene expression of candidate genes proved challenging. The approach appears promising but was limited by the number of genes studied (n=15). Future studies comparing a larger number of genes between the two species may result in identification of additional candidate genes involved in drug metabolism and/or resistance.

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“…Initially, the effects on C. elegans of the VOCs emitted from more than 40 bacterial strains were examined. Although C. elegans is not a parasite, it has been widely used as a model nematode for biocontrol experiments because it is easily maintained in the laboratory and the information obtained from C. elegans might apply to parasitic nematodes [ 25 ]. Thirteen strains of the screened bacteria emitted VOCs that exerted a fatal effect, a debilitating effect, or an attractant effect on C. elegans .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fumigant Activity of Bacterial Volatile Organic Compounds against the Nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans and Meloidogyne incognita

Diyapoglu

Chang

et al. 2022

Molecules

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Plant-parasitic nematodes infect a diversity of crops, resulting in severe economic losses in agriculture. Microbial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are potential agents to control plant-parasitic nematodes and other pests. In this study, VOCs emitted by a dozen bacterial strains were analyzed using solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Fumigant toxicity of selected VOCs, including dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), 2-butanone, 2-pentanone, 2-nonanone, 2-undecanone, anisole, 2,5-dimethylfuran, glyoxylic acid, and S-methyl thioacetate (MTA) was then tested against Caenorhabditis elegans. DMDS and MTA exhibited much stronger fumigant toxicity than the others. Probit analysis suggested that the values of LC50 were 8.57 and 1.43 μg/cm3 air for DMDS and MTA, respectively. MTA also showed stronger fumigant toxicity than DMDS against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, suggesting the application potential of MTA.

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Caenorhabditis elegans: nature and nurture gift to nematode parasitologists

Cited by 24 publications

References 66 publications

Recent advances in functional genomics for parasitic nematodes of mammals

Recent advances in functional genomics for parasitic nematodes of mammals

Ivermectin-induced Gene Expression Changes in Adult Parascaris Univalens and Caenorhabditis Elegans- a Comparative Approach to Study Anthelminthic Metabolism and Resistance in Vitro

Fumigant Activity of Bacterial Volatile Organic Compounds against the Nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans and Meloidogyne incognita

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